Bill payment at establishments such as restaurants, refueling stations and retailers can be tedious and time-consuming. For example, at a restaurant, when a diner is presented with a bill at the conclusion of a meal, the diner can tender cash or a payment instrument (such as a credit or debit card) to a waiter in order to pay the bill. The waiter is then required to provide change if payment is by cash, or to use a point-of-sale (“POS”) terminal if a payment instrument is used.
A further illustration of the tediousness of bill payment occurs where a diner elects to add a discretionary gratuity (or “tip”) to the bill total as a reward for good service, or elects to deduct or alter an optional gratuity is already reflected in the bill total. Still further, the diner may wish to split the bill total, with or without a gratuity, equally with fellow-diners, or the diners may agree that each person pays for the items on the bill that each person has consumed.
The applicant has appreciated the desirability of a simpler process for paying bills than that described above.